1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, and particularly, to an LCD device capable of preventing damage of an LC panel by an impact damping member or through a design modification of a functional member when a functional plate such as a touch panel or the functional member is attached onto the LC panel.
2. Background of the Invention
Generally, one of display devices, a cathode ray tube (CRT) is being widely used to a monitor of a meter, an information terminal device, etc., as well as a TV. However, an electronic device mounted with the CRT therein is not implemented in a small size and a light weight due to a large size and a heavy weight of the CRT.
In order to replace the CRT, has been proposed an LCD device having a small size, a light weight, and low power consumption. Recently, are being increased demands for a flat type display device such as a notebook computer, a desk top computer, an outdoor monitor having a large size of 30-inch or more, and a wall-mounted TV.
In order to effectively use each kind of electronic device, being widely used a touch panel for inputting a signal onto a display of a display device without requiring a remote controller or an additional input device. More concretely, a flat type display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, a plasma display panel (PDP), and an electroluminescence (EL) is provided with a functional plate such as a touch panel onto a display thereof, thereby allowing a user to select his or her desired information with watching the image display device.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a touch panel integral type LCD device in accordance with the conventional art.
As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional touch panel integral type LCD device comprises an LC panel 50 for representing an image, a backlight unit disposed below the LC panel 50 and providing light, and a touch panel 60 attached onto the LC panel 50. The LC panel 50 may be provided with polarizing films 51 and 52 disposed on both side surfaces thereof.
The backlight unit includes a lamp 22 disposed on one or more sides of a lower cover 10 and providing light, a lamp housing 21 for coupling the lamp 22 thereto and protecting the lamp 22 from an external impact, a reflection plate 12 for reflecting light from the lamp 22 to the upper or front LC panel 50 without optical loss, a light guide plate 24 disposed at one side of the lamp 22 for
Here, the optical sheet 49 includes a diffusion plate 49a for obtaining a uniform brightness according to a viewing angle so as to enhance characteristics of light having passed through the light guide plate 24, a prism sheet 49b disposed on the diffusion plate 49a for enhancing a frontal brightness of light having passed through the diffusion plate 49a, and a protection sheet 49c for protecting the prism sheet 49b from scratch, and so on.
The LC panel 50 includes a TFT array substrate having a TFT at each unit pixel, a color filter substrate having color filters for representing colors, and an LC injected between the TFT array substrate and the color filter substrate. Here, the TFT array substrate is formed to have a larger area than the color filter substrate, thereby exposing out gate and data pad portions to which an external signal is input.
On the LC panel 50 having the polarizing films 51 and 52 attached thereto, disposed is a functional plate such as the touch panel 60, or a functional member. Here, the functional plate or the functional member has a size equal to or smaller than a size of the color filter substrate of the LC panel 50 without depending on a specific design reference.
However, when the functional member such as the touch panel 60 is attached onto the LC panel 50, the LC panel 50 become more susceptible to an external impact or vibration. This causes an edge region of the LC panel, especially, an edge region of the TFT array substrate to be damaged.